


the way things change

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Slow Burn, so we would all die for eddie brock right?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-24 07:08:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17699882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: He left her feeling confused and only slightly worried. Which, as she found out later, was only a natural reaction to Eddie Brock.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> venom was a romcom where eddie chooses an alien over the girl. change my mind?

Katherine looked up from her phone over to the fidgeting man. The coffee table was shaking with how violently he was tapping his foot under it.

 

“And as you say mister...”

 

“Call me Thomas, please. We can cut the formalities uh,” his fingers twitched, and she watched him reach for the mug only to spill some of the, by now, luke warm coffee on his pants.

 

“Okay. Thomas, then. You say that a giant monster is chasing your friends across San Francisco?”

 

“Yes, yes,” he leaned in closer, causing Katherine to lean back until her back was pressed into the stiff cushions, “it's seven feet tall and it has these... these giant claws. All black. Narrow white slits as eyes, and the teeth –  _dear_ _God_ _the_ _teeth_  – and...”

 

“Wait. Okay, hold up just a second there. You're telling me that a seven foot tall,” she searched for an appropriate, yet not completely bullshit term for this nonsense, “ _being_  is after your friend? And it talked to him. What did it tell him, Thomas?”

 

Now he was close enough that she could see the quivering of his lower lip.  _God_ , what was it with people in San Francisco and this creature.

 

“It said  **‘You can't run.** **You** **can't** **hide.** **Wherever** **you** **go** **,** **I'll** **find** **you** **.** **All** **of** **you** **.** **And** **then** **,** **when** **I** **do** **,** **I'll** **bite** **your** **heads** **off’**.”

 

Katherine flinched when he suddenly clasped her hand, but added a loose grip of her own for comfort. This man was behaving strangely. Had been since entering the shabby dinner.

 

“So you think it's gonna get you too, Thomas?”

 

“Yes,” he breathed, “yes, it will.”

 

“And you're scared?” She felt his grip on her fingers tighten to the point where she had to try and free her hand from his vice-like squeeze.

 

“Ma'am,  _I'm_ _terrified_ _._ ”

 

—

 

**Thursday, 10:30 am**

 

So owning a small, cozy, condo in the suburbs didn't go as planned. Actually, scratch that, she was an optimist, and as such she'll say the idea was  _postponed_  rather than cancelled.

 

Optimist, keep that in mind, even if the poorly sellotaped box just busted open a foot away from her door and all the valuables on the inside were sent tumbling down.

 

She cursed this morning as a whole as she bent down to collect the VHS tapes and newspaper articles scattered around the floor. _Filthy floor,_ she noted, as her fingertips brushed some grime causing her to instantly recoil and wipe her hand against the velvet of her skirt.

 

The building as a whole was no New York apartment per se, but considering that it was her stubbornness that got her here in the first place, she had no room to complain. _You reap what you sow Katherine Davis_ , she chastised herself.

 

Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed the man coming up beside her. That is, until he stepped on one of her tapes. She heard the pop– _crack_ first and then saw it bend under his boot.

 

“Oh my God, can this day get any worse?!”

 

With her arms thrown out towards the sky, it's not like she expected an answer from the big guy himself. But if he planned on making her life living hell then he should of had started earlier. Right now, it seriously hurt her ego and did damage to her hopes for a stable adult life.

 

“Uhh, no? Hopefully no. Er, I, I'm sorry for uh,” he rambled on. He just destroyed her work and was still standing on the rubbles of it, making a poor attempt of apologizing for it.

 

“Maybe step off first?”

 

“Step off? Oh. _Oh_ , _right!_ The... wow,” he rubbed his hand against his neck and chuckled, forcing her to listen to the painful crunch of plastic as he moved his foot off the item, “I think it's... broken.”

 

“You  _think_ _?!_ ”

 

She hissed out and got up from her knees, arms full of belongings she made a living out of. It made more sense to watch it get crushed under some big guy's foot. That seemed more of an appropriate metaphor for her current state.

 

“I'm  _so_  sorry. I wasn't paying attention and– you need help with that?”

 

The stack of cassettes were slipping away from her grip, but she had done a fine job of looking perpetually annoyed enough to not give him the courage of actually getting closer to her than he was now. And he  _was_  keeping a decent amount of distance between them, for whatever reason.

 

“No, I'm good. I'm just waiting for you to move so that I can unlock my door and then I'll go be upset inside this crappy apartment full of boxes,” Katherine patted down her jacket for the key, but took note of the helmet the man was gripping under his arm, “and if you're a delivery guy, I'm sorry if I cost you a tip for your late arrival.”

 

There was a moment of silence that stretched on for way too long. The man looked shocked, then incredulous, and finally his jaw set in what she saw as quiet displeasure.

 

“ _Delivery_ _guy_ _?_ We– _I_  apologized, lady. Jesus, what is it women today and going for my throat? And besides, you're standing in front of _my_ doorway, so when you move, I'll move.”

 

Despite the man towering over her, Katherine met his eyes in silent surprise. This man was her neighbor?  _The_  ‘most weird and most unsanitary guy you'll ever meet’, as Mike explained, living across of her was _him_? Her weight shifted from one foot to another, and suddenly those cassettes felt heavy. She'd take a wild guess and say it was shame weighing her down.

 

“Ah, so, I'm guessing you're mister Brock?”

 

He slumped at her sheepish tone, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

 

“Yeah. Eddie Brock. You're, uhh,” his gaze flickered off to somewhere beside her shoulder for a minute. His brows furrowed above the, perhaps, most lovely pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen.

 

“Katherine Davis, but Kate will do. I'm your new neighbour.”

 

Eddie's eyes narrowed for a split moment, and he laughed almost as if he just remembered an inside joke.

 

“Pleasure to meet you, Kate. And thanks, didn't hear that since high school.”

 

 _Thanks_ _?_ She smiled warily and stepped past him. The unlocked door was accompanied by the sounds of keychains jingling, and she turned just in time to watch him pause at the doorway and point his index finger at her.

 

**“** _**We think** _ _**you** _ __ _**smell** _ __ _**nice** _ _**.”** _

 

He rubbed at his facefuriously, voice muffled through the heel of his palms. “No, that, actually, we don't. That would be weird if we said that or I thought that.”

 

Katherine observed him straighten his posture and offer a small wave across the narrow hall seperating them.

 

“Uh, alright then. Take care! If you hear noise in the evening it's just the pipes. The plumbing in this building is awful. Call me if you need help unpacking those boxes!”

 

He was rapidly shutting the door mid speech, but Katherine could of sworn he had mumbled something that sounded almost as ‘god, what is wrong with you’ before his lock clicked.

 

Just as bizarrely as he appeared, Eddie Brock shut his door in her face and left her confused and only slightly worried for his sanity. Which, as she will find out later, seemed to be a natural reaction for people around him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's eddie b. the b stands for broke bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter will be from eddie's pov because i want to write venoms monologue SO bad and the internal bickering between a car wreck of a man and his alien significant other is important

She was forced awake by the sunlight that snuck it's way past the half–drawn curtains. The background noises of an awakening San Francisco consisted of a lot of rumbling engines and yelling, which meant Katherine tried to avoid starting her day by sinking under the blanket and burying her face into the uncomfortable cushions. A strange smell clung to the couch, but Mike assured her it was only spilled beer and the old Chinese takeout box the previous resident left behind. She had the pleasure of finding it when she first came to inspect the place, approximately a month ago.

 

It was close to nine when she finally put on slippers and lazily stretched her way into standing. On her way to the bathroom she graciously tripped on several boxes and an unplugged cable, using the throbbing pain in her foot as a set reminder to finish unpacking all her belongings before noon.

 

Katherine scrunched her nose at the greenish mold growing on the wall above the sink, deciding to skip straight to breakfast with a disgusted ‘ _ugh_ ’. Whoever lived here before might as well opened a lab with the growing bacteria cultures in the bathroom.

 

Aside the unsafe environment, the fridge made bizarre noises when opened, and one of the cupboards had a spider living in it for God knows how long, but as long as she didn't have to deal with larger pests, she didn't mind fixing up the small space to something more usable. However, forced to sit on the counter and eat cereal out of a plastic container, the reality was that she still had a long way to go before this felt remotely as homey.

 

Before she considered testing the cracked socket beside the counter for her new coffee maker, a loud banging noise outside made her pause. An eerily familiar voice echoed through the hallway, and she raised her eyebrows as the words became more profound than moments ago.

 

Pulling on her cardigan, she moved closer to the door and listened. The commotion sounded one-sided, and Mike's voice rumbled through the building again.

 

“Open the fuck up Eddie! I know you're in there. You can't keep avoiding me forever.” More violent knocks muffled his cursing, and Katherine peeked through the spyhole only to witness Mike, red faced and huffing, slam his palm against her neighbours door.

 

“ _Y'hear me Eddie?_ Don't make me do this again tomorrow, because I will. You'll have to answer eventually. Look man, I'll leave this,” he waved a blue envelope, “with miss Davis, so don't try pulling that ‘I lost it’ bullshit again with me.”

 

Suddenly facing her door, Katherine flinched away. She heard Mike clear his throat before softly giving her door a few knocks. Instead of opening immediately, she waited a few moments and then gave a lame _‘coming!’_

 

“Good morning miss Davis, slept well?”

 

Opening the door, Katherine faced a much sweeter version from the angry beast she witnessed just moments ago. Mike made an effort to smile genuinely at her, and she returned the gesture somewhat halfheartedly.

 

“Morning Mike. As good as one can sleep in such a noisy neighborhood. Everything alright? You seem a little out of breath.”

 

“Oh, _oh_ _yeah_ , everything is fine. Just peachy.” He glanced over her shoulder and raised a brow. “You all settled in? I see you haven't unpacked all the boxes. If you need any help I'd be glad to... ”

 

“No, thanks. I unpacked the essentials, but I got tired and went to bed early. Well, _the_ _couch_ _._ Hey, you didn't tell me about the giant hole on the mattress in the bedroom, Mike.”

 

His discomfort was evident in the way his smile stretched thin.

 

“Ah, that. I probably didn't notice it. Well, _anyways_ , I need you to deliver something for me to mister Brock. When he returns, that is.”

 

He handed her the envelope which she begrudgingly took and inspected. It weighed more than the ones she usually received, but Katherine knew a warning letter when she saw one. _Probably_ _about_ _unpayed_ _bills_ _or_ _damaged_ _property_ , she thought, and still gave the man a curious hum for the sake of the situation.

 

“Alright. He isn't at home at the moment?”

 

Mike reluctantly nodded, and glanced back at his door with an unreadable expression.

 

“Yeah. He might be at work. Or, hey, maybe he's a hard sleeper. You never know with Eddie.”

 

She didn't miss the sarcasm dripping from his words, but he laughed it off and gave her one of those soft looks again.

 

“But if he causes you any trouble be sure to ring me up, okay? Don't want any inconveniences for a new resident!”

 

Katherine thought of the filthy bathroom, broken bed and several other ‘inconveniences’, and couldn't help but snort at the makeshift kindness the landlord was trying to sell her. After all, he did a fine job at hustling her to pay extra cash for this dump.

 

She bid her farewell shortly, under the guise that she needed a shower now more than ever after dodging an uncomfortably suggestive invite to morning coffee with him. Turning the letter around in her hands she took note of the angry red marker saying ‘OPEN!’ on the back, and lowered it on the counter with pity.

 

The fact that her neighbour might be struggling financially didn't surprise her. After all, no one would be living in a building like this even if they had the money to afford better.

 

Another knock made her resentfully set down her coffee machine yet again, and walk to the door. This time she didn't bother checking her guest.

 

“Uhh, _hi_.”

 

Eddie's eyes roamed her apartment for a moment, but returned to her face with an absurd kind of chagrin.

 

“Did Mike stop by with, uhh, well,” he rubbed at his arm awkwardly and Katherine actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

 

“An envelope? Yes.”

 

“I don't usually do that,” he quickly added, making sure to look as apologetic as possible with his pretty blue eyes. And, for now, she absolutely bought it.

 

“Hide from Mike? Because, by the sound of it, this wasn't the first time he came to your door pissed and ready for a shouting match.”

 

Katherine had seen the uncomfortable blush pinch the crook of his neck, then spread somewhere to the corners of his cheeks. He opened his mouth, but settled for an awkward chuckle instead.

 

“Yeah, well, it's complicated.”

 

“That makes it sound like you're in a relationship with him.” Her gaze fell to the ghost of a smile at the corners of his lips, and she almost instantly regretted it. The eyes aside, this man had some _very_ kissable lips.

 

He seemed awfully perceptive of her lingering gaze, because he licked his lips as if to have her imagination provoked further. “If I say that me and Mike go way back, will that only make it sound worse?”

 

“Probably.”

 

“Right. Well, _err_ , it's an ongoing issue. Let's keep it at that.”

 

“I won't pry, Eddie. It's none of my business anyways.” His shoulders lost some of their previous tension, and when she handed him the envelope, he heaved a sigh at –  _she assumed_  – the weight of it.

 

“Thanks, Kate. Sorry for ruining your peaceful morning.”

 

“Oh,” she laughed, earnestly this time, “it wasn't _that_ peaceful. San Francisco could give New York a go for all the noise, really.”

 

“I'd say we're too proud to take that title, but.” Humor suited him. In the way that it crinkled his nose and smoothed the lines at the corners of his eyes. His stoic demeanor flattened at the expressions he could make when he wasn't so high-strung.

 

“Well, I'll leave you to your coffee then,” an expectant pause left her curiously blinking up at him, “unless you...”. He defensively clamped his mouth shut, suddenly frowning and leaving it hard to decipher his mood swing as anything but annoyance

 

“Alright then. See you around, Eddie.”

 

She was rewarded with a cut ‘bye’, and watched in mild bewilderment as he stiffly turned away, only to whirl back to face her with eyes blown wide. His panicked hiss made her flinch away, and contemplate shutting the door.

 

 _ **“Unless**_ _ **you**_ _ **want**_ _ **to**_ _ **have**_ _ **coffee**_ _ **with**_ _ **us**_.”

 

He grimaced and raised his hands up, as if she was aiming a gun at him and he offered surrender.

 

“ _Me!_ _Coffee_ _with_ _me_ _!_ But you don't have to. Don't even know why I brought it up - _because_ _I_ _surely_ _didn't_ _want_ _to_ _say_ _that_ _out_ _loud_ \- but, uh, forget it. That was... forward and creepy of me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. _God_ , and you _just_ moved here too.”

 

The difference, as Katherine saw it, was that Mike sounded peculiarly confident in his way to woo her into a coffee date. Whereas Eddie Brock, a man twice his size, and albeit a little strange, was rambling and clutching at the hem of his hoodie like a nervous school girl. It was endearing, to say at least, and she couldn't help but feel a little curious about him and his odd mood shifts. Part of her wished to break apart his personality and make out what all those character tics were, but that part of her was still twenty and interested in fields of psychology.

 

“If you promise to stop talking, sure. You interrupted my coffee time anyways, so you owe me Eddie Brock.”

 

He froze mid apology. The awkward pause that followed was filled in with her laughter as she leaned against the doorframe.

 

“Bet you know a good coffee place. You give off that ‘caffeine addict’ energy.”

 

“I do, actually. And they have donuts too.”

 

“Well then, let me grab my phone and keys, and lead the way mister!”

 

He looked uncharacteristically excited at the idea of having coffee with her, and that was enough to plaster a warm smile on her face for the majority of their trip.


End file.
